A double, away from the nothing
by Villemo
Summary: The reason why Jack kept 'messing up' his crossword…;) Lost City part 1. [Sam&Jack] -- Missing scene. Please read!:)


  
**Title:** A double; away from the nothing 

**Author:** Villemo (villemo112@hotmail.com) 

Disclaimer: not mine, hmm – I wonder if there even are any… *checks story*, yeah okay, so there's like 3 Stargate names in this one, and I guess I don't own them, so… Be nice, don't sue. 

**Summary:** The reason why Jack kept 'messing up' his crossword…;) Lost City part 1. [Sam&Jack] -- Missing scene. Please read!:)

Spoilers: Lost City part 1 

**AN**: Well, I finally figured out why Jack kept 'messing up' his crossword... (celestial body --> Uma Thurman?! Hello!) It had of course 'nothing' to do with the fact that he had that ancient knowledge in his head... *pokes tongue at readers* and everything to do with, well, this:   
BTW: This is set before they go to P3X-439 (the planet with the Ancients repository of knowledge), but after the briefing.  
(Okay, so there wasn't really much 'room' there, but I made some, okay. Consider it a 'writers privilege' ;p)

~~oVo~~~~oVo~~~~oVo~~~~oVo~~ 

Prologue:   
(from The Lost City, part 1)   
Jack: "I need a seven letter word"  
Daniel: "I told Sam I wouldn't help you"  
Jack: "Well, then this will be the _one_ thing she doesn't know. - Up down, charmed, blank"  
Daniel: "Strange"  
Jack: "Yeah... Well, thanks anyway"  
Daniel: "No. The word your looking for…-"

Sam: "The fate of the world is hanging in the balance, and you've been sitting in your car finishing 'this'?"  
Jack: "I believe it was double or nothing"  


~~oVo~~~~oVo~~~~oVo~~~~oVo~~ 

**[a double; away from the nothing]**

"The bet, is off"  
she says,  
and cocks her head to the side.  
He looks up from the black & white-checkered paper in his hand.  
"What?"  
"I know you asked Daniel"  
"'Scus' me?"  
"About the crossword"  
she clarifies.  
-What happened to this being: "the _one_ thing she doesn't know"…?  
He mutters his earlier words,  
she doesn't understand.  
"What?"  
"Never mind…  
Anyway,-" he returns his attention to his crossword "-you can't hold me to that one. He never answered."  
It's triumphant.  
"Yes he did."  
calm, certain - very Carter like.  
He looks at her, slightly confused,  
"No, he _didn't_"  
petulance?  
indignation?  
"He did."   
she repeats.  
"-Right before you hung up, - and apparently right 'after' he heard some splashing noises-"  
she cuts herself off  
"Sir, were you rinsing your phone in the sink again?"  
accusation, with amusement  
"I don't 'do that'."  
indignation.  
She looks at him, knowingly; before, slowly:  
"No sir.   
Of course not sir.  
Only... "  
she pauses,   
"- you really shouldn't do that you know. It's only water _resistant_, not water_proof_..."  
"Carter..."  
his voice going down,  
a warning.  
"Yes sir.   
Sorry sir."  
hiding a smile are we?  
"-And anyway - I don't do it *that* often"  
grudging admittance, as he fiddles with something on the desk.  
Her smile erupts.  
"No sir..."

She gazes at him for a while, then  
"Sir, about the bet..."  
a reminder  
"Aw, come on Carter, don't ya think I deserve a second chance here?"  
"Sir, you weren't supposed to ask Daniel, or anybody else for that matter, for help"  
"But he didn't _'say'_ anything"  
'O'Neill exasperation'; it's almost a whine.  
"Ehm, _yes_ he did"  
"Yes well, nothing I actually _'got'_ then…"  
Her lips twitch,  
as he continues.  
"So, whatta' ya say, the bet's still on?  
"Well; lets, for arguments sake, say you really didn't...'get'-"  
she smiles at that   
"-what Daniel said. - You still broke the rules."  
"What _rules_?"  
"_The_ rules sir"  
"_Your_ rules Carter"  
"Yes, well I _am_ the one supplying the prize. - sir."  
He pauses,  
"Yes; there is that - _that_ you are..."  
he taps his fingers, thoughtfully, on the desk.

Her eyes linger on him for a moment.  
"I suppose..."  
"Yes?"  
he returns his attention.  
"Well I suppose I _could_ talk to Daniel, again; and if he confirms your story..."  
"Yes?"  
hopefully expectant now.  
"...then I _might be_ inclined to overlook-"  
"-thanks Carter"  
he jumps down from his chair.  
"But sir-"  
she stops him.  
"What-now?"  
he enquires.  
"The stakes just changed."  
she informs him.  
His hands go into his pockets.  
"What; it's already double or nothing"  
"Yes, well; it just _took_ a double, _away_ from the 'nothing', sir…"  
she says; meaningfully...   
He looks at her.  
"Ehm, 'what'?"  
She elaborates.  
"_You_ win, you get the before-mentioned prize."  
He nods.  
"_'I'_ win - you take me out to dinner."  
He stares at her.  
"Carter..."  
"This'll all have to be _after_ we're done with this pesky getting-the-ancient knowledge, so-we-can-save-the-world-'again' stuff, of course..." she adds,   
nodding to herself.  
"-and, there will, obviously, also have to be a time limit now"   
she continues, unbaffled by his stare.  
"O-kay..."  
So is she saying what he thinks she's saying?  
Because _if_ she's saying what he thinks she's saying…

He hesitates,  
"Eh, Carter, just..."  
Just?  
Okay, 'among other things…'  
"-What about Pete?"  
He has to ask.  
She looks at him, all innocence.  
"What 'about' Pete?"  
He lifts his eyebrows at her (- didn't she just insinuate that the two of them...)  
"Well-"   
she says, carefully,  
grinning,  
"I _like_ Pete…;  
but…"

he can fill in the blanks himself;   
'term used to express warm affection, attraction, and/or devotion, towards another person,'  
two words,  
seven letters - across...

And it ain't 'strange'...

  
~~oVo~~~~oVo~~~~oVo~~~~oVo~~ 

Well, I hope you got the puzzle *winks* ;)  
And remember: reviews are adored!

(c) Villemo 2004

[oVo]


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